How do we recruit and select effective sales-reps in services?

Being involved into Sales Management for a long period of time primarily as a Line Manager and further as an Academic, I strongly believe that there are "needed, required elements" in producing an effective and efficient Sales-Rep in services - the sales-reps' identity in services.

The identity of an effective sales-rep is characterized by a set of inherent features and a set of acquired features.

An combination of the two sets leads to a competitive sales-rep's personality which along with managerial abilities provide Administration with an Idealized Sales-reps' Identity Framework. One may argue that the below indicated lists are representing a realistic framework that applies in every industry / market. This is quite true. One should not forget that an idealized design depends on organizational inputs (e.g. predefined corporate set of skills and competences) and organizational outcomes (e.g. performance metrics, behavioural issues). For the sake of this discussion, we need to agree that selection and recruitment of talented sales-reps, largely depends on corporate expectations, organizational support, sales infrastructure and sales / marketing orientation parameters.

Identity of a Sales-Rep - Inherent features:
a) SELFISH URGE FOR SALES GOALS ACCOMPLISHMENT
b) COMMUNICATION / INTUITION
c) TEAM WORK
d) CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
e) SELF-RESPECT / SELF-CONTROL
f) SYSTEMIC ORGANISATION
g) ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

This is a set of inherent features that I would personally look for plus the "sparkle in the eyes" of the candidate for a sales-rep's position. This is indeed hard to find and even harder to develop. However, as a "people-oriented" personality, I strongly believe that we could develop a set of ACQUIRED FEATURES such as:
a) POSITIVENESS
b) EDUCATION
c) EXPERIENCE
d) KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET / PRODUCT
e) POSITIVE ATTITUDE

It really requires a substantial business effort, money and time in building a competent sales-force team. Recession times call for few, yet competent sales-reps in accomplishing corporate set demanding sales-quotas. Nothing should be left to coincidence. We need to plan and implement Marketing with a long-term perspective investing into people - the human asset capital of a services firm.